The Greatest Political Brand Ever

When we talk about successful brands these days we often toss around a buzz-word co-creation. We could learn a lot about what this means--and why the term is wrong--by looking at one of the most important--if not the most important--brand out there: Obama.

Don't confuse Obama with the man Barack Obama. Barack Obama is a human being. Obama is a brand that lives in the interaction between Barack Obama and his constituency--in the interaction.

Obama is not a thing brought into being, a creation, a monument; Obama is a point of contact. Like all brands, the Obama brand is formed by the collective mind of those who come in contact with the concept of an Obama, a concept initially created by Barack Obama, and it that brand is constantly being reformed by each new set of interactions. In other words, Obama is a performance that's taking place in this moment and in every moment, and then disappears, and then reappears in a new way.

To see this look at the art created by Obama's constituents. The mutability of the brand is astounding. Emo Obama! Jazz Obama! Add these to the myriad other recontextualizations of Obama (Che Guevera Obama is my personal favorite).

This is what makes Obama the greatest political brand ever, and I'd argue, one of the greatest brands ever: its ability to be performed in almost any way. Marketers could learn something from this.

Emo for Obama